Inspire
by QPoppo
Summary: Late Sengoku period AU. (Miximax)


Right now, their intimate home was getting a little makeover. Though such a project was a lot more difficult seeing as the only one contributing was Ranmaru, and he and Takuto's little home was actually more akin to a magnificent castle, the kind that could only belong to the ruler of Japan. Floor after floor, room after room and building after building. Ranmaru's task seemed to be impractical, or at the very least very tedious. However, that didn't bother the blonde one bit.

While Muffin was busy he had to occupy himself somehow. That was usually done by taking nap after nap, or by stuffing himself with every delicacy he could get his elegant hands on. His favorite activity, however, was standing right by his lover's side, ready to help him with any task his brilliant mind could come up with whether it was leading an invasion or simple words of encouragement. He also had the secret job of reminding Takuto to be patient and forgiving with his people, as he often forgets to be when he gets too emotional.

But some days, he was in a certain mood. Ranmaru felt an urge to be productive or creative or even generous. And the feeling comes to him when he wanders the immense castle on his own. The floor holding their room was accompanied by many long extravagant halls with ornamental designs and expensive patterns as far as the eye can see. There were also at least 10 rooms just as grandiose. And below his feet were two more floors just as large, just as exorbitant and just as empty as the one he was in. Yes, these rooms were just as devoid of furniture as they were company. All of the commotion took place on the next 7 floors below, where business never stopped.

It was pretty obvious that three empty floors were of no use to only two men, no matter how fancy they were. It seemed to Ranmaru that the castle was there more as a way to proudly display the wealth and status of the owner rather than serve as an actual home. And Ranmaru knew that Takuto valued the home. It's a great influence on his mentality, his relationship; he needed a place to truly relax, and let his guard down for once. Of course, their room was a sanctuary of sorts, but he felt that comfort should be extended to the rest of the floor. So really, Ranmaru was doing this way more for the brunette than himself. He felt at home as long as he was with Takuto. Their environment didn't matter.

The door to the balcony was open, letting in sunlight and a refreshing breeze. There was the faint sound of commotion from the floors below. In the middle of his little project, Ranmaru made his way over to one of the decorative vases sitting on a small table near the corner of the room, pretending to have a purpose. His scarlet hakama trailed on the hard wood floors behind him. Upon picking up the large paperweight, he didn't actually know what to do with it, he just wanted it out.

The blonde gasped when his long hakama tripped up his feet. It wasn't enough to knock him over but that funny looking vase fell right to the floor, shattering into a million pieces around his feet. "Shit," he sighed. His next thought was to sweep up the mess he made when he had a sudden realization.

"A-re?" he stuttered, seeing his feet surrounded by endless tacky shards. "A-re-re?" And all he had to protect himself were two socks. "A-re-re-re-re?" He continued, shuffling his feet as if with every "re" he thought of a place to go and at the exact same time remembered he couldn't move an inch. It was funny how this knight could be rendered helpless by a flamboyant decoration wanting revenge. "A-re-re? A-re-re-re?"

He was so busy having a little episode, he didn't even notice Takuto, who had come looking for him, seeming to have no reaction or comment on Ranmaru's predicament. He simply swooped him up off of his vulnerable feet and placed him safely on the other side of the room. By then, Ranmaru had calmed down, and he just looked on wide-eyed as Takuto kneeled in front of him. He was still blushing slightly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, gently touching one of Ranmaru's feet to check for any injuries.

Ranmaru hummed, and despite the redhead's touch being as delicate as possible, he still pulled his feet away slightly.

"I need you downstairs. Kinugawa's been purchasing a suspicious amount of weapons recently. I want to stop whatever plan he has before it even starts." After receiving a subtle nod of understanding, Takuto began to leave. "Oh, and that blonde kid is at the front door again, could you get rid of him for me?"

An image of the blonde "kid" flashed in Ranmaru's mind only for a split second. He was a tiny bit unfocused at the moment. "I will," he responded softly but by that time Takuto was already on his way back to work, so instead he gazed at the rainbow colored shards still on the floor. A servant would come around to clean up the mess eventually. But right now, it was there making him think of his earlier task, and when he thought about it, he felt warm inside. Well warmer than he already did. It was nice be reminded of who and what he was doing that for. And Takuto rarely questioned or even noticed his efforts to redecorate.

It made him smile just a little before Ranmaru turned around and closed the heavy double doors. Afterwards he went to change and have a word with the spirited Paladin down below, though he felt a bit more determined today.


End file.
